A rowing machine exercise apparatus is designed to simulate the motion of a person rowing a boat. In general, such a rowing machine has a handle or a pair of pivoted rowing arms, which the rower pulls toward his body, and a seat, which slides along a track. The rowing motion basically consists of a drive portion, in which the rower pulls the handle or arms and pushes off with his legs to slide backward along the track, and a recovery portion, in which the rower urges the seat forward along the track.
One type of seat for such a rowing machine, which may be referred to as a "biscuit seat," is substantially round and flat and made of wood or plastic. Another type of known seat, which may be referred to as a "saddle seat," is somewhat contoured and made of molded foam. In either case, the seat provides no back support and a minimal surface on which the rower can sit.
The hard flat surface of the biscuit seat is relatively uncomfortable because there is no relief for the bony portions of the rower's buttocks, including the pelvis and femurs. The rigid nature of the bones and their proximity to the seat cause discomfort because a substantial amount of the rower's weight is supported on the relatively small area of bone that is in contact with the hard seat. In view of the discomfort, a person is less likely to exercise with such a rowing machine. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat that relieves the pressure on the bony portions of the rower's buttocks.
Neither the biscuit seat nor the saddle seat provide support for the rower against movement relative to the seat. In essence, the rower must rely on frictional force between his buttocks and the seat to prevent slipping around or even off the seat during the rowing motion. In order to generate the necessary frictional force, the rower must exert his back and force his buttocks against the seat. The amount of force required and thus, the stress on the rower's back and the discomfort to the rower's buttocks, is substantial because the contact between the rower and the seat is minimal. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat that supports the rower against movement relative to the seat.
Typically, a rowing machine includes some type of resistance mechanism, which opposes the rower's pulling of the handle or arms. In pulling against the resistance force, the rower places additional stress and pressure on the back and buttocks, as the buttocks serves as the base or fulcrum from which the rower gets his leverage to pull the handle or arms. The resistance force travels through the rower's arms and down through his back and buttocks to the seat, and the resulting stress on the rower's back can cause injury. In the case of a dual resistance rowing machine, as is disclosed in the common assignee's copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 537,898, filed on June 13, 1990, there is additional stress on the back because resistance is provided to oppose the sliding of the seat, as well as the pulling of the handle or arms. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat that supports the rower's back during the rowing motion, and particularly the drive portion.
The threat of injury to the rower's back is compounded by the tendency of most people to lean backward during the drive portion of the rowing motion and forward during the recovery portion of the rowing motion. Although competitive rowers incorporate leaning into their rowing motion in order to maximize their performances, such practice has inherent risks and thus, is not advisable for persons using a rowing machine for general exercise purposes. As a person leans forward or backward, it becomes more difficult to transmit force down through the buttocks to the seat, and the additional stress on the rower's back, as well as the additional flexing of the back, greatly increases the risk of injury. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat that prevents and/or discourages the rower from leaning backward and/or forward while rowing.
The present invention addresses the shortcomings of the common biscuit seat and provides a rowing machine seat with the desired design attributes.